Radio Wars
by PocketMage
Summary: Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are on their lunch break, and Nick is annoyed that Judy has insisted on driving - again. It's time for some payback, but he wasn't aware that touching the radio dial is considered an act of war. Expanded Version: Complete!
1. The Warning Shot

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia, I am not affiliated with Disney in any way, and I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

Nick and Judy stopped for lunch in a dusty galleria parking lot in Sahara Square. Their assignment today: canvass the surrounding neighborhood in search of a gang of teen Cheetahs who were drag racing each other in the streets, sometimes in broad daylight when they were skipping school.

Before they left the precinct, Nick had jokingly asked Clawhauser if he was ever a drag-racing Cheetah. Ben dropped his half-eaten donut in surprise. 'Me? Nah. I was in the programming club. I was never very cool.'

'You had me fooled, Benji.'

'Really? Thanks, Nick!'

The Fox saluted him as he walked out and Judy shook her head, not having the heart to loop Clawhauser in on the sarcasm she heard in her partner's tone.

When Judy got back into the car with her salad, she took one look at the radio and rolled her eyes.

'What was that?' Nick asked, peering at her over his turkey with beetle sandwich.

'You know what it was. You changed my radio.'

'Did I? Why yes, I believe I might have done that,' Nick admitted after an exaggerated thoughtful pause. 'See, you made the unilateral decision that you were going to drive again today, even though you told me yesterday that I could drive today —'

Judy gave a scoff and started to reach for the dial to switch off Lion Richie with extreme prejudice, but Nick grabbed her paw. 'Oh, I don't think so, darlin'. I'm co-pilot. I get to control the radio. Those are the rules.'

The Rabbit cop turned to him with reproach in her eyes. 'That's not a thing. You just made that up.' She dropped her paw and took an angry bite of salad. 'You're doing this on purpose to be a pain in my tail. You know I can't stand your old mammal music.'

She knew that would get him. Nick nearly dropped his sandwich in outrage, and this time he wasn't acting.

He removed his sunglasses with deliberate slowness and stared at her. Judy's mouth started to twitch into a smug grin.

'Excuse me. Do mine ears deceive me? Did you say 'old mammal music'?'

Judy gestured to the radio, which was now playing 'Pig in Pink' by the Psychedelic Furries, as if it spoke for itself.

'No! No way! You cannot call this old mammal music - there is a classic movie named after this song!'

'Classic - another word for old.'

He put both paws on his ears, flabbergasted. 'How can you say that?'

'It's older than me,' she stated in a matter-of-fact tone, still fighting to hide her smile. She couldn't believe he hadn't figured her out yet.

'You've never seen it, have you?' Then he stopped and gave her a shrewd look. 'You're messing with me. You have to be.'

'Do you want to drive now?' she asked sweetly.

'So you can control the radio? I don't think so, missy. You're going to listen to this music until you admit how good it is.'

She lolled her head back and groaned. 'Oh come on, you're going to punish me? What are you, my father?'

His eyes widened. 'I am not that much older than you! And I really don't appreciate your attitude, young lady!'

Judy finished her salad and passed him the empty container asking, 'Could you throw this away, please?'

'Fine,' he grumbled. He wasn't too put out because he didn't even have to get out of the car - he just rolled down the window and lobbed the lunch wrappings at the trash can that stood a few feet below. The salad container and his balled up sandwich wrapper hit its mark on the first try.

'Swish,' he said appreciatively. He knew that if he had missed, Judy would have made him get out and pick it up.

When he turned back though, something terrible had happened.

He was no longer hearing the Bengals singing 'Macaw Monday'. His scheming, sly bunny of a partner was darting her hand away from the radio dial. No, it was definitely Gazelle's vibrato that was now ringing in his ears. Angel with horns, his fuzzy foot.

He gave Judy a withering glare. She grinned, the picture of innocence, and put the car in drive.

'We had better get going, we have streets to patrol.'

'Sure thing, partner.' Nick put his sunglasses back on, then leaned forward and turned the radio back.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Thanks for reading my first Zootopia fanfic! If you enjoyed it, please favorite or review! And if you want to read more like this, I encourage you to follow me. I have a longer story in the works, which should be coming soon!**

 **(FYI _, Pig in Pink_ is Judy's favorite movie. She watches it every year on her birthday. Don't tell Nick.)**


	2. The First Casualty

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia, I am not affiliated with Disney in any way, and I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

'Slow down, Fluff ... I thought I saw someone dart down that alley.'

Judy put her foot on the brake and they both jerked forward, seat belt locks engaging. Then she threw it in reverse to line up the passenger window with the alley, nearly giving Nick whiplash. He bit his tongue to stave off a comment about bunny drivers, and craned his neck out the window.

'See anything?'

Nick's ears were up, trying to catch the sound of fleeing footsteps. Then he heard giggling and someone shouted, 'Ha, got you!'

He sat back in his seat.

'Never mind... Just some cubs playing tag and WHY would you say something like that about classical Jazz?!' Nick whirled around to face his partner, then clutched his neck with a wince. He'd done it to himself that time.

'Because Nick, I find it boorrrring.'

It was more than halfway through their shift, but the music argument from back at the galleria parking lot was still in full swing. After flipping through at least fifteen different stations, they had yet to come to an agreement.

Judy turned her head to check the street for oncoming vehicles before pulling away from the curb. Nick took the split-second opportunity to flick the radio back onto the jazz station and notch up the volume several decibels.

'You've got to be kidding me,' Judy said, but her words were drowned out by the throaty wail of a saxophone.

'Sorry, I didn't quite catch that?' the Fox asked, one eyebrow flicking up.

'I THOUGHT WE WERE DONE WITH THIS?' she shouted to Nick.

'You don't have to yell that loud, I'm sitting right here.'

'WHAT?'

'Oh, right: Rabbit ears…' Nick realized, and moved to change the volume down in deference to his partner's more sensitive hearing. But before he could, Judy had laid her paw on the opposite button and switched it to a 90's country station.

'There, that's better…' Judy said at regular volume.

'Wh- you just played me?'

'It IS called a hustle, after all.' She grinned at him, 'However, on behalf of Rabbit-kind, I do thank you for your concern.'

'Hold on, hold on. You cannot, CANNOT tell me that this is better than jazz. My ears are about to bleed.'

Judy's response was to start singing along to "Rock My World Little Country Squirrel".

'You do know that you're just further cementing the cliche that everyone who grew up on a farm was raised on country music?'

'I happen to like this music,' Judy protested, but her nose twitched as she added, 'But that is accurate.'

Judy turned the blinker on and made a left turn into a gas station. Nick glanced at the fuel meter and saw they still had half a tank. 'Why are we stopping?'

She gave him a pointed look.

'I told you to go at the sandwich shop,' he remarked in an annoying sing-song.

'There was a line! Do you want a candy bar or anything?'

He shook no and leaned his head back as she pulled into a parking spot. Just as she was preparing to get out, she warned him, 'There had better not be a jazz station on that radio when I get back.'

He lifted a paw and drew an X across his chest to indicate a promise.

Ten minutes later, Judy returned to the squad car to find Nick hunched over the steering wheel, engaged in an imaginary car chase complete with his own sound effects - lights, sirens, gunfire, the whole shebang. And the soundtrack to this little extravaganza? They had circled back to the 80's again. Except this time instead of pop, it was hair metal.

Nick was preparing to rip into a mega sweet air guitar solo - whilst still operating the vehicle flawlessly, of course - when Judy gave a leap and landed right in the center of the hood. Nick gave a strangled squeal and instinctively covered his face. It took him a moment to realize that he had not been struck by a flaming asteroid.

It was much worse: it was an angry bunny. Judy's arms were crossed and she was tapping her foot. Nick punched the volume button on the radio to mute it.

'Well it isn't jazz…' he pointed out.

Judy narrowed her eyes and said slowly, 'Out of my seat.'

'But my guitar solo -'

'Out!'

'Yes, ma'am.'

When Judy had returned to her claimed place inside the cruiser, she said, 'It's time to settle this thing. We're never going to get any police work done this way.'

Nick tried his best to sound reasonable, 'All right, what do you propose?'

Judy reached forward and yanked the volume dial off the radio.

'Ah! You just defaced police property, Hopps!' Nick stared at her, wide-eyed, then added, 'I'm impressed…'

'Oh relax,' Judy stuck the dial button in one of her uniform pockets, 'I'll replace it at the end of our shift. Which is just… two and half short hours away. Until then, no radio.'

Nick gave a groan. 'Really? It's going to be so boring! All you'll have to listen to is my dulcet voice. Which isn't so bad for you - but what about me? Have a heart.'

'Oh, Nick, you just reminded me! You're absolutely right,' Judy said in a bright tone, her ears sticking straight up.

'I am? About what?' the Fox asked warily. He didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but he got the feeling it wasn't going to be good.

'We can use the rest of our shift to discuss proper protocols and procedures for the pursuit and capture of suspects. After seeing your little demonstration here, it's clear to me that you may have forgotten some of the finer points of those procedures. As your Training Officer, I can't allow that, now can I?'

She was smiling at him with that horrible amused glint in her eye - a look that was becoming all too familiar to him the more time he spent with her. Nick was beginning to wonder if all Rabbits had capacity for such evil, or if it was just Judy.

He considered how different his partner was from most of her species and thought, _It's probably just Judy._

 _Lucky me._

* * *

 **(A/N)**

 **The war rages on!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you are a new reader to this story, welcome! If you had read the first chapter before as one-shot, welcome back! I hope you like the expansion.** **I have two more chapters already written for this little series, so please follow and check back to get the whole story.**

 **I want to give a very special thanks to Lighthawk Demon for acting as my story development coordinator and beta reader. I also want to give him a shout out for encouraging me to expand this story with his insightful review!**

 **Any guesses on what will happen at the end of their shift? Leave your comments in a review! I will be eternally grateful.**


	3. The Battle of the Dial

**Disclaimer: I do not own Zootopia, I am not affiliated with Disney in any way, and I do not own any of these characters.**

* * *

They were patrolling the outer sector of Sahara Square when it happened. Judy was preparing to turn the cruiser around to begin the trek back to the station for the night, when her sensitive ears caught something. A low rumbling sound.

'Did you hear that?' she asked, her eyes scanning the surrounding streets and slowing her speed to a crawl.

'Hear what?' Nick said, sounding vaguely guilty, but Judy was too busy enacting protocol to pay attention.

'It sounded like squealing tires,' she murmured. She picked up speed and rounded a corner, trying to follow the sound with just her hearing. When they reached the end of the street and she heard nothing more, she returned to her lecture, which had been going a good hour strong. Nick had been uncharacteristically quiet.

'Anyway, that's why it's considered against protocol to use the sirens under any of those circumstances, although it should be up to the officer's best judgment depending upon — NICK!'

Another sound had caught her attention and distracted her; music was coming from the radio again. It was quiet at first, but slowly gaining in volume as Nick dared to see how much he could turn it up without her noticing.

The Fox sat at attention. 'What? I'm listening. You're talking about sirens.'

'HOW did that radio get turned back on?'

'Oh, you mean this radio?' Nick pointed at the offending object, which he was operating using the single remaining stereo knob he plucked from the opposite side. He was using that to turn up the volume on his classic rock station.

'That's it!' Judy had finally lost her temper. She pulled the car to a stop at the nearest curb where they had a clear view of a deserted intersection. There wasn't much traffic before five on this side of town.

She plunged a paw into the pocket of her uniform and fished out the second knob. She clicked it into place and twisted it, watching the numbers click by with satisfaction. She left it on a station number she didn't recognize, then darted the stereo knob back into her pocket.

'Have fun with that!'

Not to be outdone, Nick cranked the volume up at the same moment. They both regretted their decisions as soon as the music faded in; screeching guitars and a screaming lead vocalist assailed their sensitive hearing and both of them covered their ears out of sheer surprise. Judy had found the death metal station.

'WELL DONE, CARROTS. NOW MY EARS ARE REALLY BLEEDING!'

'TURN IT DOWN, TURN IT DOWN!'

Nick fumbled with the volume, bringing the unpleasant sounds to a more tolerable decibel. Then he blinked, glanced over at his partner, and moved his paw across to the other side of the radio in an attempt to change the station again. But Judy was quicker than that. 'Ah, ah, I don't think so!'

As soon as she saw him start to move, she threw herself forward and covered it with both paws.

'You want to play it like that, do you? Fine.'

Nick reached around her and tried to steal the other button right out of her pocket. Judy gave a surprised squeak and scooted back, hunching over to protect her sides. 'Nick!'

'Are you ticklish Hopps?' Nick asked with a grin, using her moment of distraction to replace his own button. Before he could flip the channel, Judy scowled and threw herself sideways, almost bowling him over into the side window. 'Did you just body check me? That was uncalled for.'

'This is war, Wilde! If you can't take the heat, get out of the car!'

'Fine, then let's turn up the heat, shall we?' He cranked the volume again so they had to flatten their ears to their heads against the sound. It dimly occurred to Judy that this was not the right time or place - while they were on-duty officers - for this kind of behavior, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to desist. Now she wanted to win.

Just as she was about to click the knob into the volume slot to cut down the screaming music, a blur blew past the hood of their cruiser, mere inches away from taking off their front end.

'Did you see that?'

'How could I miss it?'

There was the unmistakable sound of screeching tires as the driver corrected, pulling back into the middle of the street. Judy's head followed it as she saw more than one vehicle speeding up the avenue, taking both lanes of the two-way street. The green and white striped car on the right had nearly driven the second one off the road. She squinted her eyes when she saw that the drivers were both Cheetahs.

With a literal flick of a switch, Officer Hopps was back in control and they sped off after the offenders with the sirens blaring - but it was hard to hear them over the raging metal music coming from their radio.

'So this is an acceptable time to use the sirens, huh?' Nick deadpanned.

'Turn down that radio!'

'Trying…'

Nick was having trouble fighting the G-forces of their sharp turn and increasing speed in order to plug in the knob and control the volume. He ended up stretching forward with all his strength trying to reach it. His fur was whipping around him because he still had his window rolled down from before, when they were cruising the streets at a comfortable speed.

Without warning, Judy jerked the wheel to avoid colliding with a trash can that had been knocked into the road by the drag racers. Nick watched in desperate slow motion as the button slipped out of his fingers and flew past him, right out the open window.

'Uh oh.'

'What?' Judy shouted over the radio. She was forced to remain focused on the road, but the sound level was distracting her. 'Why can't you turn that down?'

'Hand me your radio knob!'

Judy, suspecting a trick to try and best her, automatically said, 'No!'

'What do you mean, no? I lost mine out the window!'

'You what?' Judy turned her head, and sure enough saw that the radio was now devoid of both buttons, and Nick was sitting empty-pawed in his seat with a rueful expression on his face. He punched the button to roll up the window, but the noise level was even more unbearable once it was all locked inside the car, so he rolled it back down again.

Judy disliked having to remove a paw from the wheel to fumble for the button, but seeing as she couldn't concentrate or call the station for backup with the offensive music blasting, she didn't have much choice. Unfortunately, search as she might in her pockets, this time she couldn't find the radio knob.

'Nick, take the wheel,' she commanded. He looked unhappy, but followed directions without question.

Judy used the moment while her paws were free to check all of her pockets — but the stereo knob was gone.

'I lost it.'

'Sorry, could you repeat that? It sounded like you said you lost it?' Nick shouted over the din.

'That's exactly what I said!'

'How did you lose it?'

'I don't know, it must have fallen out in the commotion…'

'Can you see it?'

She glanced down at the floorboards. Trying to spot a tiny black object while keeping one eye on the road and her foot on the gas pedal was no easy feat in itself. But it was a significant height from her seat to the floor; she might as well have been peering into a bottomless cavern.

Judy gave a frustrated groan, 'It's no use. I can't see it, and we're going to lose them! Why did I let this happen?'

The racers had far too much speed and a huge head start. The Cheetahs had noticed that the cops were after them, but they already had an escape plan. When they reached the end of the straight avenue, the two cars split off to the left and right, leaving Nick and Judy barreling toward the solid face of a building at top speed.

'JUDY, HIT THE BRAKES!'

The Rabbit glanced up, then switched her foot to the other pedal and slammed down on it. Meanwhile, Nick jerked the wheel as hard as he could, sending the vehicle bumping over a median. Nick and Judy slammed into each other. They broke out screaming and squeezed their eyes shut as the adobe face of the building roared closer.

The cruiser screeched to a stop and their noses were filled with the smell of burning rubber. They had left tire tracks through the grass of the median. Nick turned his head and found himself staring at the wall of the building, less than a foot from his nose. Something whizzed past his ear, bounced off the wall, then ricocheted back into the car and spun like a tiny top on the dashboard: it was the stereo knob.

The two of them stared at each other, then broke out in nervous laughter, happy to be alive. Nick reached forward carefully to pick up the knob, intending to turn down the radio once and for all… then the airbags deployed. His arm was pushed up into the air, and the stereo knob went flying back out the window.

'You've gotta be kidding me,' Nick muttered through the airbag squishing his face.

He shoved the safety device back so he could get a breath of air and check on his partner. 'You all right, Carrots?'

Judy was engulfed by the huge airbag. All he could see were the dark gray tips of her ears over the top of it. She didn't seem to be moving.

'Carrots?'

Fearing that she would suffocate, Nick stabbed it with a claw and it deflated. She pushed it to the side, scowling straight ahead. After a long minute filled with the chaotic drumming of what both of them were sure was going to be their most hated song ever, Judy sighed and plunked her face onto the steering wheel, letting out a long, continuous honk. Not that you could hear it over the combined force of the radio and sirens.

On top of it all, they had lost their suspects.

'This has been the worst day ever.'

'This is why you should have let me drive.'

Judy looked up at Nick with a weary expression. He gave a shrug. She rolled her eyes and dropped her head back down.

* * *

 **(A/N)**

 **Thanks for reading everybody! If you reviewed last chapter, many thanks for the review!**

 **So Nick and Judy were nearly squashed into a building thanks to this radio war - surely that's the last of the trouble, right? They have no choice but to head back to the station now. What will Bogo do when he finds out about their escapade? And did the cheetah drag racers escape the ZPD for good?**

 **Please leave a review with your thoughts. Check back next week for the thrilling conclusion! ;)**


	4. The Cost of War

**(A/N): Sorry this was delayed! I had several things come up all at once, as they usually do, so I didn't get to editing this chapter as soon as I thought. With that said, I'm really pleased with how this story turned out, and I hope you will like it, too. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Nick and Judy pulled up to the precinct nearly an hour later. It took so long to get back because Judy had insisted on taking the long way around, avoiding main roads and residential streets so the general public wouldn't have to listen to their radio coming up the street.

She was in no hurry to get back to the station, anyway. She was already mentally preparing herself for the embarrassment that was to come. Surely Bogo would have heard about the car chase. Someone would have called 911 about a police cruiser nearly crashing into a building and blasting its radio well above the legal limits.

The only thought in her miserable mind was that they were going to be a laughingstock.

Sure enough, when they pulled up, Bogo was waiting outside.

'Cheese and crackers…' Judy cursed under her breath.

Nick gave a low whistle. 'You're bringing out the whole cheese platter? You must be upset. Listen, maybe he didn't hear about it? Maybe he just wants to…'

Nick stopped when he got a better look at Bogo. Not only was their commander staring them down with his customary scowl, which was frightening enough under good circumstances, he also had a set of bright orange ear plugs sticking out from underneath his horns. Not a good sign.

Judy carefully pulled to a stop in front of him and rolled down the driver's side window; Nick's passenger window was still rolled down. She refused to look over at him, reclining with one arm out the window, pretending nothing was amiss.

'Good evening, sir,' Judy spoke up over the screaming lyrics, 'I can explain. You see…'

Bogo didn't have any interest in allowing her to explain. As soon as she came to a stop, he stepped forward, reached into the vehicle through her window, forcing her to lean back, dug his hooves into the sides of the stereo, and ripped the whole thing out.

The ensuing silence was nothing short of bliss to Judy and Nick's ears. Except for the fact that they were still in big trouble. Judy winced, waiting for the shouting to start, but Bogo surprised her. He merely gave a snort, tucked the radio under his arm like a football, and turned to march away. She looked at Nick with concern, and he shook his head.

When Bogo was a few steps away, he turned back around and pointed a finger of his free hoof at them. His speaking voice came out slightly louder than usual due to his muffled hearing. 'You should know that this is coming out of your paychecks.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Totally understandable, Chief.'

Judy stared after him in surprise. 'Did we actually get out of this that easily?'

'No way,' Nick said, watching Bogo's wide retreating back. 'But by this time tomorrow, it won't matter.'

She raised an eyebrow. 'Why not?'

'Because we're going to catch those drag racers, that's why.'

'Do you have a real plan, or is this just another of your half-baked schemes?'

'Please,' was all Nick said.

Judy sighed. 'Half-baked scheme, it is.'

They were back in the desert biome just south of Sahara Square, parked on a narrow side street between two store fronts. This area of town was known for featuring more chop shop garages and hookah lounges than upscale shopping destinations. Nick had been roving up and down these streets all morning, peering in at places of business, claiming that he was about to find the hangout of the Cheetah racing gang.

That's right, Nick was driving today. Much as Judy hated to admit defeat, there was no other option; their cruiser had been sent out for repairs and a new radio install, and it was the only one currently equipped with her special adjustable seat and pedals. Since he had a foot on her, Nick was just tall enough to use the same seat adjustments as the Wolves and Shepherds in the PD.

'We called for backup this time, didn't we?'

'Yes, but I wasn't able to give them any more information than a street corner to wait at, thanks to you and your mysterious plan.'

'Trust me, okay? I have an idea.'

'Oh, now it's just an idea?'

'Shh. Listen.'

Judy remained seated with her arms crossed, but she perked up her ears and tried to pick up on anything unusual. After a moment of quiet (neither one of them had dared to touch the radio that morning, not even for traffic reports), she did pick up on something. A low _thump_ , _thump_ -ing, mixed with a few other sounds. Like a beat for a hip hop song.

Nick looked at her with a glint in his eyes. 'You hear that?'

Judy refused to be budged out of her bad mood. 'Yeah, so?'

Her partner put the car in drive and edged forward so they could get a view around the corner without being spotted. The Fox tilted his ears in the direction of the sound, indicating for her to look.

Judy leaned forward in her seat, then hopped to her feet to get a better look.

'Is that…?'

Nick smiled. Sure enough, it was their Cheetah boys, skipping school yet again. Only this time they weren't racing. They were working on their cars. The same green and white-striped vehicle that Judy had been chasing the day before was up on jacks in front of the open garage, and one of their friends, possibly the driver, was tinkering under the hood. Another of the gang was lounging in a chair nearby, a cigarette dangling from his paw. Beside him was a small table topped with two bottles and a portable stereo. The stereo was blasting rap music loud enough to fill the whole block. While they looked on, the Cheetah who had been watching the street picked up his empty bottle and headed into the garage, presumably for a refill.

Nick glanced over at Judy, 'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?'

A couple streets over, their backup was waiting for word from Judy.

Officer McHorn gave a grunt. 'Nothing going. Not a hide nor pelt in sight.'

'Yeah.' Higgins eyed the radio as he reached for the button on his mic, having no idea that he was about to step on a landmine. 'Turn that trash down, I'm gonna radio Hopps and see what the deal is,' the Hippo told his partner.

'Trash? No way you're callin' this trash! This is a classic song, you useless lump.'

'Whatever, just quiet it down a little, will you?'

Back in Nick and Judy's car, the service radio crackled, and Higgins' voice came over the monitor sounding impatient, 'Hopps, no movement on Sagebrush. Might have been a false alarm? We're gonna head back out.'

'Officer Higgins, hold your positions. We've got something.'

There was a short pause while Higgins conferred with his partner, and for a moment she thought they might leave anyway. Then there was another crackle and the Hippo said, 'Standing by.'

Judy nodded to Nick and buckled her seat belt while he slid on his shades. 'Let's do this.'

'Play it, Maestro.'

At that she leaned over to the dreaded radio and started channel surfing.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._ The beat echoed down the street as the car stereo vibrated sound waves into the pavement. A lanky Cheetah stepped out of the garage, dropping his cigarette onto the concrete drive and grinding it out with the heel of his shoe. He headed back to his chair, thinking that at least someone else in this neighborhood had good taste in music; the car coming up the block was playing the same station as him.

He turned up his cheap stereo a little louder, threatening to bust out the speakers. The car cranked it up even more, the two devices competing to see which could play the song the loudest. The car stereo was winning. The Cheetah looked up in surprise when the sound stopped level with him. The vehicle had pulled up to the curb right outside the gate to the garage, blocking the main exit.

Leaning out the open window, with a pair of orange ear plugs showing out against the pink of her ears, was a bunny in a cop uniform. She gave a wink and shouted, 'Hey there, boys, remember us?'

The Cheetah leapt to his feet and slammed a paw onto his stereo to mute it. Then he scrambled backward, shouting, 'Rico! Get out, man, it's the Fuzz!'

Judy and Nick chuckled as they watched Cheetahs scatter. There were three more of the gang inside the garage, and they took off running as soon as they could make out what their lookout was saying over the music blasting out of the police cruiser.

Since the gang couldn't get the cars out without going right through them, all five were forced to take off on foot out the back alley — right onto the street where Higgins and McHorn were waiting.

The Cheetah gang was placed under arrest, and the duo returned to the precinct in triumph. 'Told ya we would get them. Not bad for one morning's work, eh?'

'You're right. And I suppose something useful came out of our little radio battle after all.'

Everything was was looking good until they approached the booking desk to file their paperwork. McHorn and Higgins were already there.

'Uh… what are you guys doing here?' Nick asked them. 'Shouldn't you be getting back to your patrol?'

'What do you mean? We have to file the report for our collar.'

'Don't you mean OUR collar?' he indicated himself and Judy.

The Rhinoceros swiveled to look down his horn at them. 'I didn't see you putting the cuffs on those punks, Wilde.'

'But we led them right to you,' Judy said. 'You would never have been able to put cuffs on them if our operation hadn't smoked them out.'

'No, we wouldn't have been able to put cuffs on 'em if they hadn't tried to jimmy a parked van right in front of us while tryin' to get away,' McHorn huffed. 'Just because you found a group of Cheetahs you think you saw drag racin', don't mean you got probable cause, Hopps.'

Judy's face said it all. Her jaw went slack and for a moment she was at a complete loss for words. He was right. If they had made the arrest themselves that day, without any evidence to back them up, the gang would have been released in five minutes.

After the initial shock had passed, Nick cleared his throat, 'Come on, Judy, we have somewhere else to be.'

When his partner continued to stand there, beating herself up, Nick put a paw on her shoulder and gently steered her away. Her feet started moving of their own accord.

'How could I have been so careless?' she asked when they were out of earshot of the other officers.

'It wasn't your fault. This was my stupid plan, remember?'

She shook her head as if she didn't believe him.

'We caught the guys, that's what really matters, right?'

Still, she didn't answer. Nick sighed.

'When you get knocked down, just pick yourself up and start again.'

That sounded vaguely familiar. Judy looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He continued, 'Don't beat yourself up. Sometimes we come in last, but we did our best.'

Judy's eyes lit up as realization dawned on her, 'Nick, are you —'

In reply he reached up and pulled something out of his ear and held it out to her. It was a black earbud, and now that she looked she saw the cord trailing behind his ears and down his back. He showed her a small music player in his other paw before dropping it in his pocket.

She took the earbud and plugged it in, already knowing what she would hear. It was the familiar beat of her favorite song, just as Gazelle reached the first chorus: 'I won't give up, no I won't give in…'

Judy turned to him with a smile spreading across her face. She nudged him with an elbow. 'You can't lie to me, I knew you loved Gazelle too!'

Nick gave a half shrug. 'What can I say, she's a national treasure. You want to go get something to eat? My treat.'

'Really, you're paying?' The Rabbit looked up at him in disbelief.

'Sure,' he said, then made a show of patting his pockets. 'Ah, wait… you know what? Ain't that the darndest thing? I must have forgotten my wallet again.'

Judy laughed, bumping into him by accident since they were forced to walk so close together. 'Uh uh. You're not getting away with that one again…'

Nick rolled his eyes and slipped his arm around her shoulders under the pretense of steadying her. 'Well, it was worth a shot.'

They headed out the front doors and down the steps side by side. Tomorrow was a new day to try again.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, did the ending surprise you? I thought I would do something slightly different than a 'they catch the bad guys, they're heroes, and it all ends happily' scenario. Maybe you found it interesting, or maybe you didn't like it at all - either way I'm curious to know!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **An Afterword:**

 **As I mentioned before, the rest of this story would not have happened if I hadn't received a single inspiring review. So yes, reviews make a huge difference to writers like me. They encourage us to keep writing and help us to become better writers. Please consider leaving a few words on the next story you read, and spread the love!**

 **Thank you so much for your continued support.**

 **~PocketMage**


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